The present invention relates to fishing reels and, more specifically, to a convertible fishing reel where the fishing line may be cast in a manner similar to that of a spinning reel and the fishing line retrieved in a manner similar to that of a conventional reel.
Two basic designs encompass the entire spectrum of fishing reels in use today and both have their advantages and their limitations. Traditional xe2x80x9cspinningxe2x80x9d (or spin-cast) reels are lightweight and designed to hang below the fishing rod for easy casting and handling while xe2x80x9cconventionalxe2x80x9d reels are mounted above the fishing rod and are preferred when casting of the bait is not required.
xe2x80x9cConventionalxe2x80x9d reel design calls for the axis of the spool (upon which the fishing line is wound) to be perpendicular to the rod upon which the reel is mounted. This enables the spool to revolve freely in a direction parallel to that of line retrieval. This feature is attractive because it eliminates line twist, minimizes the force of friction on the line as it is wound upon the spool, and creates a smooth slip plane that provides a uniform resistive load as a hooked fish pulls line from the reel (this slip plane is hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cdragxe2x80x9d). However, this same feature is also its greatest fault because it is necessary to revolve the spool in order to payout line during a cast. In this scenario, casting efficiency is directly dependent upon the weight and momentum of the bait being used. This inconsistency decreases the likelihood that constant line payout will be maintained during a cast. As a result, any slack in the line during a cast ultimately causes the loose line to wind back upon itself resulting in a xe2x80x9cbird""s-nestxe2x80x9d tangle of the line. Furthermore, conventional reels are generally heavier in mass and are mounted on top of the rod. These limitations make cast fishing with conventional tackle extremely cumbersome, especially when trying to cast baits that are of lighter weight.
xe2x80x9cSpinningxe2x80x9d reels were developed to help alleviate the casting problems inherent with conventional tackle. Spinning reels are designed with a stationary, open-ended spool whose axis is parallel to the fishing rod. During a cast, the line pays out freely from the open end of the spool through the line-guides mounted on the rod. This spool orientation prevents slack in the line as it is paid out during casting effectively eliminating the backlash problem inherent in the use of conventional reels. Furthermore, spinning reels are generally lighter in weight and hang below the rod which makes casting of the bait substantially easier.
Unfortunately, while this design feature did eliminate the problems associated with the casting of conventional tackle, new problems were created. The main drawback to spinning reels is that they rely on an outer wire bail that orbits tangentially (but perpendicular to the direction of line retrieval) about the stationary spool to retrieve the line. Upon retrieval, the line is forced across the wire bail at a 90-degree angle, causing the line to twist and degrade due to the friction-associated heat.
Another major limitation of spinning reels is their inherently poor drag system design. Because the drag mechanism is forced to reside within the relatively small area of the spool housing, the diameter of the drag washers (and therefore the surface area) are severely limited relative to drag washers of conventional tackle. The washers, therefore, become subject to heat expansion during periods of stress, such as when fighting a fish. Furthermore, the drag plane is perpendicular to the direction of line retrieval. This means that when a fish overcomes the force of the drag, the line is pulled across the wire bail at 90-degrees under extreme tension. The resulting friction not only dissipates as heat, thereby quickly degrading the strength of the line, but also results in a drag that is xe2x80x9cchoppyxe2x80x9d and generally much less consistent than the smooth drag preferred by anglers.
A number of patents describe various fishing reels, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,001,195 (Gillette), 2,439,298 (Horan), 4,564,158 (Moosberg et al.), 5,007,601 (Emura et al.), 5,301,899 (Sato), and 5,911,378 (Plestan) and herein are incorporated by reference. Moreover, all patents, patent applications, provisional applications, and publications referred to or cited herein, or from which a claim for benefit of priority has been made, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of this specification.
The present invention remedies the aforementioned problems in the art by providing a convertible fishing reel with a unique design to allow for a more efficient line casting and line retrieval. To accomplish this, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises two separate components, a main-body chassis and a spool chassis.
The spool chassis is connected to the main-body chassis by a pivot mount. The pivot mount allows the spool chassis to be rotated 90-degrees about a pivot relative to the direction of the fishing rod to which the main-body chassis is attached. The pivot mount can comprise at least one support arm, a pair of support arms, a bell housing, or other similar device that permits pivoting according to the invention. This allows the spool chassis to be positioned perpendicular to the direction of the fishing rod for line casting and parallel to the direction of the fishing rod for line retrieval.
To switch the fishing reel from the line retrieval position to the line casting position, the spool chassis is rotated 90-degrees and locked in position so that the spool chassis is perpendicular to the main-body chassis. As the line is released during a normal cast, the line slips off the front of the open face of the spool, as is common with a spinning reel.
When a cast is completed and the drive mechanism is engaged, the spool chassis automatically rotates 90-degrees in the opposite direction, such that the spool chassis again becomes parallel to the main-body chassis. In this position, the line is retrieved utilizing a method similar to that of conventional reels.
An objective of the subject invention is to eliminate the problems inherent in the design and use of both spinning and conventional fishing reels, while retaining the advantages of both in a single structure.
While two examples of this invention are described and illustrated herein, it should be noted and appreciated that various modifications to the inventive concepts may be apparent and obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fishing reel having a convertible chassis.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fishing reel having a convertible chassis rotating between a position perpendicular to the plane of the fishing line to a position parallel to the plane of the fishing line.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a fishing reel having a convertible chassis rotatably affixed to at least one support arm.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a fishing reel having a convertible chassis rotatably affixed to at least one support arm having a drive means propagating through the pivot point on the support arm.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiment and appended drawings.